SYOC Selection
by margidee
Summary: The time has come once again in Illéa for the a Selection to take place. Prince Asher, son of King Maxon and Queen America, is now nineteen years old and is of age to be married. (SYOC CLOSED!)
1. One - Meet the Selected

**3rd Person Point of View**

The TVs all around the country flickered on for this Friday's episode of _The Report._ Girls waited nervously, clutching the outstretched hands of friends and family. Parents stood by anxiously, not sure whether they'd be celebrating with or, more likely, comforting their daughter late into the night. Boyfriends bristled with apprehension, stranded in their own homes, hoping not to hear their beloved's name called this night. That night, the Selected would be announced. That night, the Prince's thirty-five potential brides would prepare for their move to the palace and their fight for Prince Asher's heart.

On the screen, the young announcer Derek Narrows cleared his throat, and the whole country went silent. The only sounds in the streets were the animals, who didn't really seem to care that their owners might be leaving them soon.

"Good evening Illéa, and welcome to the _Report._ I'm Derek Narrows, and joining me tonight I have King Maxon, Queen America, Prince Asher - the guest of honor tonight, ladies and gentlemen - and the Princesses Natalie and Nevaeh. Before we get to the exciting stuff…" Derek announced some meaningless trade bargain with New Asia, but no one was listening. Girls were exchanging final words with their families before some of them were elevated to Selected.

"And now," Derek paused dramatically. "The moment you've all been anticipating since Prince Asher turned nineteen, _the Selected."_ The screens faded to black, and Derek's voice narrated the slideshow of thirty five beautiful girls, the thirty five prospective brides for Prince Asher.

"Allison Morgan, a Two from Atlin," Derek said as a picture of a beautiful brunette girl filled the screens. In Atlin, the lucky girl was surrounded by screaming, cheering family members and excited (albeit slightly jealous) friends.

"Paige Knottingham, a Five from Tammins," Derek smiled as the picture changed, now showing a girl with strawberry hair and different colored eyes. In her house, her mother reached around her shoulders and squeezed her tightly, a silent affirmation of her pride. Next door, however, girls were sobbing bitterly, and jealously thinking of ways they could get back at Paige for stealing Prince Asher from them.

The screen changed again, flashing to a picture of a beautiful girl with New Asian looks, with long, thick, black-ish hair tied back into a thick braid. Her eyes, which were almost feline, were also a color somewhere between dark chocolate and the midnight sky on a stormy night. She was smiling slyly, with a coy, intelligent look about her.

"Rani Siyalamam, a Four from Zuni," Derek's voice broke into the stupors of many drooling teenage boys. In her small home in the mountains of Zuni, Rani's grandmother gave a little shout when she saw the grainy image of her granddaughter flicker onto their ancient television, and her stepfather enveloped Rani in a bear hug.

"Next, we have Natalie Birdson, a Four from Honduraga," Derek injected, accompanying a picture of a pretty blonde girl, smiling happily. In her house, however, there was no celebration. Her father was passed out, drunk, on the couch, and her twelve-year-old brother Jeremy was out of the house again, probably breaking the curfew laws again with his friends and doing other illegal things. Instead, all alone, Natalie watched the Report and cheered quietly for herself when her name was called, thanking the gods that she was chosen so she could escape her family.

"Engalu, a Two from Likely," Derek announced, and a gorgeous girl appeared on the screen, her black hair curled and styled like royalty. At her large home in Likely, champagne bottles were uncorked and all her friends were screaming and congratulating the eccentrically dressed one-nomer, ready to see their favorite celebrity bestie win the prince's heart.

"And now, Arlissa Frizer, a Two from Allens," Derek called happily. Arlissa, a cheerful brunette, gasped in unison with her family when she heard her name called. She and her older sister Amphritrite squealed and jumped about excitedly while the rest of her family looked on in pure joy.

In Hansport, Ariella Sawyer waited nervously for Derek to announce the Selected girl from her province. Her wide, green eyes were full of anxiety as she waited, heart pounding. _Please don't let it be me, please don't let it be me._

"Ariella Sawyer, a Five from Hansport." The dreaded words filled Ariella's ears. She was crushed. What would Evan think? Ariella's mother, on the other hand, was ecstatic, jumping around and pulling Ariella to her feet, clutching both of her daughter's paint-stained hands in her own.

"Alexandra Lynwood, a Five from Waverly," called Derek's voice, but it was barely heard over the sounds of the celebrating people in Alexandra's house. As soon as her picture was shown on the screen, her entire family exploded into excited chatter. Alexandra beamed around at her family and began planning where each of them were going to live in the palace once she was queen.

"Caitlin Durham, a Seven from Dakota." As soon as Caitlin's name was announced and her black-haired picture was shown on the screen, beaming cheerfully, her father turned to her in silence.

"How could you disobey me, Caitlin? You know how I feel about the Selection," her father said in a voice as cold as ice. Caitlin averted her eyes and looked at the ground. This was not going to go over well.

"Please let it be me, please let it be me," pleaded Arielle Apollo in her ramshackle home in Sonage. Being Sixes was hard on her family, and Arielle was hoping to use the Selection as a chance to earn some extra money for her family. They needed it too.

"Arielle Apollo, a Six from Sonage," announced Derek, and Arielle's heart exploded with happiness. She could finally help her family like she wanted!

In Paloma, a young golden-haired beauty waited anxiously, clutching the hand of her younger sister, Caroline. Derek's voice announced her name, and her picture appeared on the screen, smiling joyously.

"Elaine Winslow, a Three from Paloma." Elaine barely registered that it was her. She was shocked, she was in the Selection now!

At a wild club called Dirty Little Secret, Ever Lioncourt was too busy partying over the release of her new movie, taking shot after shot and dancing questionably on the crowded dance floor, to notice that "Ever Lioncourt, a Two from Columbia" was announced on one of the muted TVs behind the bar.

Liliana looked up from her study where she was writing her newest blogpost for her fairly well-known website, _Lilyblogs_. In the silence of her Clermont home, with the television on the lowest volume setting it could go, Liliana just barely heard her name being announced, and looked up in surprise to see her scholarly brown-haired picture being displayed on the screen. When she looked back down, her notifications from her readers were blowing up, congratulating her on being Selected.

"Tara Wilson," Derek continued, and Tara, who was trying to get all of her siblings to be quiet, was stunned to hear that her name was called. _Naw, it's probably just someone else named Tara Wilson. It's a pretty common name, right? _she thought to herself, trying not to get her hopes up. "A Three from Angeles." Wait. Tara was a Three. Tara lived in Angeles. She was in the Selection! She squealed with happiness and immediately, all her hardworking efforts to make her family be quiet had gone down the drain.

"Jazmyn Howard, a Two from Sota," Derek announced, and Jazmyn smiled confidently at her friends.

(15) "I knew I'd get in," she boasted, twirling a finger in her black locks. "I mean, my family gets invited to the King's annual Christmas Ball every year. The Prince and I practically grew up together. I'm a shoe-in for Queen, girls, and you'll all be my servants," she joked, and laughed loudly. Her friends laughed with her, a little uncertainly.

"Laila Brown, a Seven from Hundson," Derek announced, and through the window of her neighbor's house, Laila watched in the pouring rain as her disheveled but happy-looking picture was projected on the screen. That was before the disownment, before her life turned into a living hell. _Ah well, _she thought, _at least I get to live in the palace_.

"Roselyn Tatyanna, a Four from Whites," Derek announced, and Edison Winters's heart dropped to his stomach. Even though they'd broken up, he knew that deep down, he still loved her, and couldn't bear to see her flirt with the Prince. _At least I'll still be able to see her, _Edison thought consolingly to himself, but then reminded himself of the Queen's affair with a guard, and thought that he had better stay away.

"You're so going to get Selected Laney," assured Olivia Scott to her nervous older sister, Delaney. Delaney bit her lip anxiously, waiting as Derek seemed to pause forever before reading off the next name.

"Delaney Scott, a Three from Sumner," he finally read, and Delaney's heart exploded with excitement as her familiar dark brown hair and smiling face appeared on the screen. Her family all cried out excitedly, happy for their beloved relative.

Riquel Lionheart pushed her slightly sweaty blonde hair out of her blue eyes exhasperatedly as she swiped the smelly dishrag in her hand over the table she was bending over. Crumbs flew to the recently swept floor, and she tossed the rag down in frustration, collapsing into a nearby booth. On the muted TV in the corner of the restaurant where she was working, Riquel noticed her face being displayed on the screen, or maybe it was her twin sister Rihanna's. Since the restaurant was closed, she ventured over to the screen to turn on the TV and listen, while examining the face closer.

"Riquel Lionheart, a Six from St. George," read a strange voice, and Riquel stared at the screen in utter shock before rushing to the telephone on the wall to call her sister at work.

"Rhi, you'll never guess what just happened!"

In her parent's villa in Labrador, a scholarly-looking blonde wearing sweats and a scowl slammed the phone down on her desk in anger.

"What do they mean, 'can't publish it'? Stupid publishers," Kendall Grant muttered to herself, pacing anxiously around her room. When she couldn't seem to shake the dark cloud of anger over her head, she flopped down onto the expensive leather couch and turned on the _Report. _Something about the Selection was happening tonight, or something. What she wasn't expecting was to see her photo displayed on the screen, accompanied by the words "Kendall Grant, a Three from Labrador."

Renae Staedtler was heading home late from work at the architecture building in Belcourt when she heard her name being called over the radio. Confused, she turned it up and realized, to her great surprise, that the Selection was on the radio, and she'd just been Selected. Who knew?

Maia di Rossi, a dark-haired beauty, kicked the soccer ball in front of her around aimlessly, hoping that her name wouldn't be the next one to be called for the Selection. _It's such a stupid idea, and some people were forced to enter,_ she thought bitterly, thinking back to the explosive arguement she'd had with her father the day she entered.

"It'll be good for you Maia! Lord knows you need to learn how to act like a lady sometime," her father had screamed, and Maia had stormed out. When her temper had cooled back down, she came home, tidied up, and entered, but only to appease her father. She knew the whole thing was rigged, and who would want a soccer star in their Selection among all the models and actresses and prissy girls, and then the humble but secretly evil lower caste girls. Unfortunately…

"Maia di Rossi, a Two from Bonita."

"Another bust," Vanessa Harton complained to her manager as she entered the dressing room backstage after her latest performance at a little underground bar called the Poetic Rock.

"There were like… seven people there! How am I ever going to get noticed if I keep playing these little hole-in-the-wall crap-holes!" she ranted, struggling to climb out of her elaborate costume.

"Well, you may not gain fame by doing these gigs, but I have some news for you," her manager offered as she stepped up to help Nessa undo her costume. "You're in the Selection! You can go and stay just long enough to get people to know and remember you, and then leave and your music career is ready to go!" _Hmm, not such a bad idea._

"Hey, Cass, can I tell you a secret," whispered David Carlson. Yeah, _the _David Carlson, the famous swimmer. Talking to little old Cassidy Johnson, an up-and-coming pro figure skater. Cassidy nodded, trying to control her blush.

"I was talking to Asher today and he told me that he got a preview of the Selected girls, and you're one of them!" That was not news Cassidy had wanted to hear. This totally screwed up her plan to get David to realize his feelings for her! That darned boy!

Brianna Chase. All the boys loved her, all the girls wanted to be her, but couldn't find it in their hearts to be jealous of her. For one, she was only sixteen and had graduated college already, and was now working on a top-secret architecture project for the Prince. For another, she was drop-dead gorgeous, and her personality was the only thing pretty enough to possibly rival her outward appearance. Third, as of just now, she was a contender for the Prince's hand in marriage.

"Brianna Chase, a Three from Midston," announced Derek, to no one's surprise. Now Brianna could add the Selection to her resume of things she's done perfectly that everyone else could only dream of attempting.

In her aunt's small home in Panama, Wren Prior sat on the couch, practically praying that her name would be called for the Selection. She'd registered late, so late in fact that she'd heard the postal workers muttering amongst themselves that she may not make it in time when she submitted her photo and information. Her aunt sat next to her, clutching Wren's hands in her own. Having raised the nervous girl since she was practically a toddler, Aurora Finch knew how badly Wren wanted this.

"Michelle Kenyon, a Five from Denbeigh," Derek read off, and for the millionth time, Wren's heart dropped to her stomach. _Not me. _

"Wren Prior, a Five from Panama," Derek continued, and Wren noticed with surprise that her own face was staring back at her on the TV screen. She squealed with happiness.

Esperenza Shore and her cousin Kelley Swetha were holed up in Kelley's flat in Baffin, counting out money and placing bets on which one of them would get Selected. Esperenza's brother worked for the King, and he'd overheard the King reading off a list of the names of the Selected to Prince Asher, and he knew for sure that one of the two was in. Esperenza was betting on Kelley, and Kelley was betting on herself. The TV had flashed through many faces, almost all thirty-five, and none of the girls had been Kelley or Esperenza, and they were both starting to get worried that Esperenza's brother had been playing a cruel joke on them.

"Kelley Swetha, a Three from Baffin." Kelley and Esperenza both gave excited cheers, and each took their own money back.

"Congratulations Kell! I knew you'd get -" Esperenza began, but stopped suddenly.

"Esperenza Shore, a Six from Calgary." The two paused.

"Both of us?" Kelley wondered aloud.

Sarah Deadwood was out for an evening walk when she heard the news. Well, technically, she was just returning from her walk, and her brothers tackled her as she walked in the door. Since they were eight and twelve, this was nothing new, but it was the words they were yelling that caught Sarah off guard.

"You got Selected you got Selected you got Selected!"

"I what?" Sarah repeated in confusion. "I got Selected?" The boys nodded.

"And the final four girls to be Selected are…" Derek read off, waiting for the teleprompter that was situated behind the cameras to update with the new names.

"Jillian Birchmore, a Six from Lakedon," he announced, and a loud screech sounded from the studio audience. A petite girl with eccentrically dyed hair was clutching her hands to her cheeks, and she looked exactly like the girl in the photo. _There's always something new,_ Derek mused, pausing for a moment before reading the final three names.

"Maegan Byrd, a Two from Dominca. Linnea Pena, a Four from Yukon. Cecelia Conroy, a Four from Carolina." Somewhere in the country, he knew, three lucky girls would be celebrating with their families and packing their bags for the trip to the palace.

"Well folks, that's all there is for tonight, here you have your thirty-five lucky ladies that have been Selected for a chance to participate in the competition of a lifetime, with the highest prize of all… Prince Asher's heart. He's quite a looker, isn't he ladies?" Derek added, going off script, and throwing the camera a little wink. What the audience didn't realize is how much Derek actually believed those words.

**AN**

Finally! We're getting started! Just a little update, now that the story's starting I'm going to be deleting the entrance form and the author's notes, but I think I'll leave the chapter preview up. I'm so excited to start writing this story, and I can't wait for you guys to see all the interesting drama I have planned to keep this not boring and awesome for you. I can't decide if I want to pick "Main Characters" from the Selected, or whether I want to have a few POVs in each chapter so everyone gets equal time until they're eliminated. What do you guys think? Remember to review, and answer the questions if you want. Love you all!

-Margidee

Questions:

Which character, besides your own, do you think sounds the most interesting?

What do you think Derek's deal is?

What's your favorite holiday?


	2. Two - To the Palace

**ENGALU**

The cars carrying the Selected were beginning to arrive at the airport. I, Engalu - well, Lady Engalu now - was already here. Most people liked to be fashionably late, but in all my years of fame, I had discovered that if you got to an event early, you could spend time with your fans. Now, however, some stupid guys with big muscles - drool, so hot - and black sunglasses weren't letting all my Angel-u's in to see me. I decided to give the people what they wanted and approached the window, pouting my lips so that people could admire them in all their green-lipstick-ed glory. All the Selected girls had to wear stupid basic blue jeans and a white tee shirt for the plane ride there, because they'd go straight into the Hair and Makeup part for dinner with the Royals tonight, but being me, and I'm brilliant, I decided to accessorize and make this drab outfit as fab as possible. My hair was teased and frizzy, and I'd had my personal hair stylist Melinda add some bright colored streaks for the occasion, to add a pop of color to the outfit. Then in makeup, Daniel painted some super-cute swirls down the side of my face, also rainbow colored, and even had the great idea to add hot pink fake eyelashes! I love this guy, as soon as I get to the palace, I'm summoning him to be my makeup guy and not some royalty slave. Ugh, they're going to try and dress me down so I look just like all the other girls. The prince won't notice me if I don't stand out!

"Lady Engalu, you need to go back to the waiting area until all the Selected are here," one of the super-cute guys with the big muscles informed me. I sauntered up to him in my seven-inch zebra print heels, making sure to pout my lips even more and flutter my gorgeous eyelashes.

"But I only wanted to see my fans. Just for a little bit, please baby?" I crooned seductively, and I could see him melting under my influence. I'm just so gorgeous, I have that effect on everyone without even trying. It's awesome.

"I'm sorry Lady Engalu, but you have to wait over there," the security man said, and smacked my shoulder so hard I saw stars. I screamed as loud as I could as tears began to pour down my face.

"I can't… I can't believe you would hit me! Do you even know who I am? I'll have your whole family fired, you'll be an Eight!" I screeched, lunging for the stupid guy and stretching out my arms so I could dig my three-inch nails into his eyeballs. Then he wouldn't be able to see my beauty, and his life would suck. Ha ha.

"Ma'am, I just tapped your shoulder to get you to go over there," he lied to me while he grabbed my wrists and squeezed them as hard as he could.

"You're breaking my wrists! Ouch ouch ow ow ouch please stop! You're going to break my arms!" When I started screaming, he let go, and I cradled my broken arms. They didn't look broken, but I could feel all the splintered pieces of my bones inside.

"You'll regret the day you were born, Muscle Boy," I growled, and stalked off toward the waiting area where my bags were. They said they'd provide us with clothes and stuff at the palace, but I had a few essentials that I just _had_ to bring, and so I squeezed them all into six suitcases. Talk about traveling light!

"Hey, are you Engalu? Oh my God, it's so great to finally meet you! I've seen some of your movies!" a pretty girl with red hair tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and wiped my tears away - wouldn't want a fan to see me at anything but my best - and smiled at her.

"Hi, would you like a picture? I have a camera in case you didn't bring one," I offered, reaching into my bag. I loved my fans so much that I always came prepared with a camera and a pen and paper so I could sign autographs because, let's be real here, who wouldn't want my autograph and a picture of me? The girl looked a little bit confused.

"Oh, no, I'm in the Selection too. I'm Vanessa Grant, have you heard any of my music or anything?" Oh, not a fan. Whatever. Maybe she'd still want a picture. The fact that she didn't want a picture with me was kind of annoying to me, so I looked around really quickly to see if anyone was watching, because I didn't want any bad press, and then turned and walked away. Who did she think she was, acting like a fan and then not being a fan? I mean, who isn't a fan of me? What was her deal?

"Hey, wait up!" she yelled behind me, trying to catch up. I tried to walk away faster, but sometimes that's kind of hard in seven-inch designer heels.

"Look, honey, I don't know who you think you are, but you can't just talk to me like we're equal," I snapped, turning around and giving her my best sexy-but-off-limits look. She frowned.

"Well, technically, we're both in the Selection now, so we're both Twos," she pointed out.

"Yeah, but I'm better than you, because I was a Two originally, okay? So why don't you just go back to your little piano or whatever and stay out of my radar, because I don't need my positive vibes being clogged up with your rudeness, alright?" Since I always win arguments, and I always have the last word, I turned and strode over to my bags, where my butler was waiting. The stupid palace people said I can't take him with me, but that they'd give me three maids. I was all like, _Only three? _and they were all like, _Three is more than enough. Lord knows we can't spare more staff, _whatever the heck that means. If all the girls in the Selection were going to be like this, I was not going to enjoy this. Or maybe I would… evil smile time Engalu. Time for some super evil plans to get the other girls eliminated.

**VANESSA HARTON**

With my guitar slung across my back and the rest of my few belongings packed away in one small suitcase, just like they'd instructed, I stepped onto the plane with the other Selected. Most of the other girls were already boarded, so there were only a few open seats. This was a nice plane, I noticed. Instead of rows of forward-facing seats all crammed together, there were little tables, with two seats on either side facing each other, and plenty of room. The windows were tall and let in plenty of light, and the entire place had an airy feel to it. I found an empty seat next to the Atlin girl, Allison or Allie or something. Across the table from us sat Liliana Russo and Arlissa Frizer. I'd actually read Liliana's blog a little bit, and she seemed really funny and smart, but that might just have been her online personality.

"Hi, I'm Nessa," I introduced myself. I could tell they were all doing the same thing I was and scoping out the competition, which is why it took them all a moment to reply and give me their names. We talked for a few minutes, making superficial small talk and consciously avoiding the topic of the Selection, until the pilot's crackled over the loudspeaker.

"Hello ladies, I'm your pilot, and I just wanted to let you know that we'll be taking off now, our flight will take about fifty-four minutes, so sit back and enjoy the hors d'oeuvres that your hostesses have provided from you. Hope you enjoy your flight," he said. As soon as he mentioned the hors d'oeuvres, about ten women dressed in the palace colors of white and purple entered the cabin carrying trays full of small sandwiches and shrimp cocktails. I helped myself to some of the sandwiches, which were actually quite delicious.

The plane ride was uneventful, to say the least. I met a few of the other Selected, including Elaine and Michelle. They were nice enough, but I hadn't really met anyone I wanted to actually be friends with yet. I ended up just talking to Liliana about her blog the whole time.

"The palace!" gasped a dark-haired girl who was sitting at the next table over. Everyone turned toward my side of the plane at once, to see the tall spires of the palace rising in the distance. My heart hammered in my chest, and I was starting to feel nervous for the first time, thinking about everything that would happen at the palace. I remembered what my agent said. _Just go until you're known, and then get eliminated and then your music career will take off._

As we landed, the chatter in the plane began to pick up as girls started to get anxious about meeting the prince. Regardless of whether or not they were friends, girls were clutching each others' hands and calming each other down. The plane touched down on the palace's runway with a little jolt and then rolled to a stop.

"Ladies," the pilot announced, "welcome to the royal Palace of Illéa."

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Alright guys, sorry this is just a crappy filler chapter, but I wanted to introduce a few characters (whether main or minor or what) and let you guys get to know how it'll work when I write things. Also, since I'm going to delete this past author's note chapter, I just wanted to bring this up again for you guys but... I HAVE A BLOG AND A POLYVORE FOR YOU GUYS! I put the links in my bio since so many of you guys have pointed out that the links in my author's note that I posted yesterday weren't working, so if you want to go check out the outfits that your character wears, or when I'm going to be posting the next chapter, or take a little survey about the story (please take the survey on the blog, I really would love the feedback) then go to my bio and go to the end and see the blog and the Polyvore please please please! I spent a lot of time making them for you guys and I just want you to enjoy it, and I hope it can make you feel more interested or connected with the story. Lots of love!

-Margidee


	3. Three - Matrons, Madness, and Makeovers

**JUST BECAUSE SOME OF THESE GIRLS HAD POVS DOES NOT MEAN THAT THEY ARE MAIN CHARACTERS. JUST CLEARING THAT UP FOR YA!**

**BRIAR CHANCELLORY**

As soon as the plane touched down, we were all ushered out of the vehicle and into the palace by a combined squad of formidable palace guards and pristinely-dressed maids, all the while having our ears lectured off by who I assumed was our matron, of sorts, who introduced herself as Anna.

"Since we're a little bit pressed for time, we're just going to go straight into makeovers and you'll meet your maids and get your room assignments after tonight's dinner with the royal family," she announced, leading us into a long, tall room that looked like it was usually some type of ballroom or something, but had been converted into a makeover heaven. Thirty-five mirrors surrounded by bright lights had been set up in one segment of the room, and along one of the walls, curtains were hung up to serve as makeshift changing rooms. There were vanities with spinning salon chairs and racks upon racks full of all different colors and styles of dresses. Shoes were lined up by the dozens in any clear floor space they could find, and the makeup-and-hair stations were surrounded by more makeup than I'd ever seen in one place in my life. There were stylists, both male and female, bustling around trying to get things set up at the last minute before we arrived, but once Anna led us into the room, they were silent.

"Ladies, these are your stylists for today. It's only temporary, of course, because after today your maids will be in charge of any and all beautification that will be done, so just try to cooperate with them today, alright? You will each be assigned a station with a stylist, but first you must see one of our photographers to have your 'before' photo taken. Once your makeover is completed, your stylists will fill out a file for your maids with anything particular about your makeup or your style or anything they need to know, while you go to the photographers again for your 'after' picture. Then you will leave the makeover room and a maid will escort you to the Women's Room where you can wait until the rest of your fellow Selected are finished with their makeovers, and then I will prep you for your dinner with a quick etiquette lesson. Is this clear?" I nodded, too overwhelmed to really understand anything she'd said. Sure, I was a Three in my past life, but this was a completely different Three lifestyle than anything I was used too.

"Good. Now go get your photos taken," Anna shooed us away, and I scampered to the nearest photographer, a bored-looking man who said all but four words to me. As soon as the blinding flash of the camera went off I was out of the photographer's chair and on to my stylist at Station Eleven.

"Hi there, my name's Phylla, I'll be your stylist for today. Do you know what you want me to do with your hair? Braid, updo, cut, dye, I can do it all," piped a high-energy little woman as I sat down in the chair.

"Um," I stalled, fingering my auburn locks. "Could you maybe just curl it?"

"Sure thing sweets," she smiled, and plugged in a rather lethal-looking curling iron. Phylla was about halfway done curling my hair when she began talking out loud to herself.

"Bangs. She'd look really good with bangs," she murmured.

"I guess you could do bangs if you want to," I answered, unsure of how they would turn out. Phylla squealed with delight and put down the curling iron and instead opting for a small pair of sharp scissors. I closed my eyes, too scared to look, as she _snip-snip_ped away at my hair. I'd never really had a major hairstyle change since I was about seven, when I decided to cut my own hair and give myself a bob. Those were some awful family photos.

"Oh, baby, you look absolutely stunning!" Phylla cried when she was done, and I opened my eyes reluctantly to come face to face with a whole new person staring at me in the mirror. I reached up and absently stroked the bangs.

"I love them," I breathed, now running my hands down the perfectly styled waves of my hair.

"On to makeup. Since you have this lovely red hair, I have the perfect dress in mind for you, it's this long blue thing with -"

"Sounds great. What about makeup?" I interrupted. I really wasn't in the mood to sit through a long-winded explanation of this dress.

"Well, I was thinking we'd go with some light eyeshadow, maybe peachy, and then some dark eyeliner to bring out the brown in your eyes. Sound good?" Phylla didn't even wait for my answer before beginning to rummage through her makeup tower and emerge triumphantly with an eyeshadow palette and a few assorted makeup items.

Fifteen minutes later, my makeup was done, and I was waiting for Phylla to return with my dress, shoes, and accessories. I sat still, pensive, waiting for my nails to dry. Phylla had done a fabulous manicure in a cloud-blue shade that she claimed matched the dress perfectly, so I was excited to see what she came back with.

"Here it is!" she exclaimed as she returned, her arms full of a big black dress bag and some glittery silver shoes. In her hand she clutched a silver heart necklace and some silver studs.

"Get dressed love, you're going to look so hot," she shoved the garments into my arms. I stumbled backwards a little bit, into the dressing room, and Phylla whisked the curtain shut. I hung the clothes up on the hook, careful not to drop anything, and began to pull on the dress. It was a gorgeous creation, with silver detailing around the chest and a long, flowy skirt. The shoes and the accessories matched perfectly. I was in love.

I stepped out of the changing room to show off my look. Phylla squealed with delight and then ushered me off to the photographer, who was just finishing the last girl's before photo, and I sat down for my after photo.

"Oh no sweetie, we're doing the after photos a little bit differently. We really want to be able to get the whole look in there, in case some magazine or something wants the look. Can I just have you stand in front of that background and look over here?" the photographer, this time a young girl who didn't look much older than me, instructed. I did as she said and then was whisked off to the Women's Room to wait by myself.

**RANI SIYALAMAM**

"You have gorgeous hair m'lady," my stylist, a middle-aged man named Fabio complemented. I blushed, not used to having people point out things like that.

"So, I was thinking straight, and maybe if you were okay with it, I'd add a little bit of lightness on the end to change things up a bit, you know?" I nodded, completely lost. I'd never had a makeover like this before, living up in the mountains of Zuni. I watched, fascinated, as Fabio snipped and stroked and dyed and my hair turned from a half-curly half-frizzy rat's nest into a long, sleek, shining curtain of hair with an almost undetectable change in hue on the bottom edges.

"I love it," I breathed, but Fabio was already on to the makeup. This time, he didn't check with me before he began to apply products to my face, but I didn't question his methods. After the miracle he worked on my hair, I was 100% okay with anything he wanted to do. He could tattoo the words "I love Prince Asher" onto my eyebrows and I'd probably go along with it.

Once makeup was finished (and it looked flawless) I was led to an empty dressing room and told to wait while he brought me my outfit. I waited patiently, clutching the thin silken dressing gown around my chest. I waited for almost twenty minutes, and was starting to get anxious, but then Fabio returned with a black dress bag draped over his arm emblazoned with the palace crest, and shoes and jewelry clutched in his other hand. He shoved the outfit at me and I quickly changed into the breathtaking ballgown. It was black and lacy on the top with thin straps, but not like sexy-lingerie black and lacy. It was classy-but-elegant black and lacy. The floral pattern of the lace extended down just past the tops of my thighs where it melted into a thin cream-colored skirt. The shoes had a little bit of a pointed toe and some strange studs, but they matched perfectly with the dress. As for jewelry, Fabio had selected a small pearl necklace and some plain diamond studs. I stepped out of the dressing room to show myself off to Fabio, who clapped his hands together in sheer joy and then ushered me over to have my after photo taken, kissing both of my cheeks before he left.

**KELLEY SWETHA**

Makeup and hair took _forever._ I kept trying to look for Esperanza, but I couldn't seem to find her in the busy makeover room.

"There, your makeup's done," announced my stylist, whose name was coincidentally also Kelly. But we determined that hers was spelled K-e-l-l-y while mine was K-e-l-l-e-y. Different, see? Kelly had gone with an ultra-sparkly eyeshadow and a thick, dark cat eye liner and some very natural looking fake eyelashes. At first, I couldn't even tell that they were fake, because they looked so real, but then I realized that my eyelashes were unfortunately not actually that gorgeous. As for hair, my blonde locks were in loose, bouncy curls, and when Kelly whirled my chair around so I could see the back of my head in the mirror, I noticed a really intricate braid pattern criss-crossing the back of my head. It was pretty sweet. However, as I waited for her to finish painting my nails, I noticed that the polish was not a neutral color like we'd talked about. Instead, it was a rich dark blue color.

"Um, Kelly, I don't want to be rude, really I don't, but… we did discuss having neutral colors for my look tonight," I injected. This was all part of my strategy. Stand out just enough that I don't get eliminated, but stay kind of in the background until we're far enough into the Selection to where it actually matters, and then BAM, I'll show up looking like a million bucks.

"I know, I know, but I have this perfect dress in mind, it's kind of styled in a way that people used to dress before the war," Kelly leaned in and whispered to me. "These people were called _flappers,_ and they had some pretty cool styles. But you didn't hear it from me." I nodded. How did Kelly know about anything pre-war, especially the fashion? I decided not to question it.

"How does this fit in with my strategy though?" I'd explained my strategy in great detail to her before we began.

"This is the part that ensures that you're plain, but that you're not forgotten about. If you dress plainly but accent your outfit with a bright pop of color, you'll stand out but not completely, like… you'll end up somewhere in the middle. Since your dress is kind of a dusty brown, I was thinking some blue to bring some attention to you," Kelly explained as she blew on the polish to make it dry quicker. I nodded, suddenly understanding.

"And speaking of your dress, I'll go grab it while you head on into changing room 3 and switch into a dressing gown," she instructed, so I stood up and found changing room 3. The dressing gown - in customary palace purple and white, of course - was hanging on the rack, so as soon as I changed out of my plain traveling outfit, I pulled the gown on. Just in time, too, because I was just tying the belt in a knot to keep it closed when Kelly whisked back the curtain, a limp black bag clutched in her hand, along with lots of jewelry and a pair of shoes.

"Change fast, the photographers are packing up and you still need your after shot," she instructed, but I was already pulling on the dress. It had thick straps, almost like someone just cut the sleeves off of a tee shirt, and it flowed not too tight but not too loose all the way down to about my knees. It was covered with intricate beading. The blue of my nails, jewelry, and shoes accented it perfectly, looking stylish but at the same time not too out-there.

"I love it, thanks Kelly," I called out to her as I hurried over to the last photographer to have my photo taken.

**ARIELLE APOLLO**

"You need to stand out honey, stand out." I'd spoken to this stylist guy, Jerome, for all of two minutes, and I already couldn't stand him. He always repeated everything he said, as if he was trying to impress upon you how important it was, even if he was just saying, "please sit in that chair over there." Instead of arguing, however, I decided to practice for when I was queen and I would have to tolerate all the annoying people.

"What do you think is a good color for makeup?" I asked, ignoring the fact that Jerome had already begun to set out makeup and I could see a curling iron warming up.

"Oh darling, don't worry about the colors. I'll handle it, I'll handle it." Arguing with this man would drive me insane. I elected to just sit back and let him have his way with my face and hair, which in hindsight could have turned out very badly, but for how annoyingly he talked, it turned out that Jerome actually knew what he was doing. Twenty minutes later he was putting the finishing touches on my hair, and I was still not done admiring the makeup and nails he'd done on me. The nails were a speckly blue color, flecked with different shades of cobalt, teal, and sapphire, and as for my makeup, Jerome had gone for a peachy pink eyeshadow, which he explained would look "natural when compared to your dress, natural." My lips were a soft matte cream color, and I looked like I was hardly wearing makeup at all. Jerome spun me around in his stylist's chair to show me the back of my head, where two simple twists were pinning a few strands of hair away from my face, and the rest of my blond hair was styled into calm waves that were almost curls. Almost. Oh great, now I was starting to repeat things.

"Now, for your dress. I have the perfect one in mind, the perfect one." I was shown to the changing rooms and while Jerome fetched the rest of my outfit, I used my spare time to marvel at the hair and makeup in the full-length mirror hanging in the dressing room. I didn't notice that he had deposited my clothes and shoes outside of the door until I heard someone clear their throat, so I snatched up the dress bag and the accessories and hurriedly got dressed. The dress was a light teal color, matching my hair perfectly, and it had a strapless jeweled bodice with a gathered sash just underneath my chest, and the skirt fell to just above my knees. This was the first short dress I'd seen, which was good because this way, I knew I'd stand out. Plus, a short dress would show off the awesome shoes Jerome had picked out, which were nude heels, but with a woven-looking covering on top and a peep toe. I looked flawless. Prince Asher had better be prepared.

**CASSIDY JOHNSON**

As a professional ice skater, you'd think I would be immune to the dazzle of a pretty costume, or the thrill of a perfectly-done face of makeup and head of hair. If you thought that, though, you are definitely wrong. When my stylist, Aria, presented me with my dress after she'd finished my hair, nails, and makeup, I thought I would die.

"I knew that you were a figure skater," she explained as I changed, "so I thought I'd try to convey that in a dress, while I didn't want you to actually look like you were going to go skate, you know? So I was browsing the racks before you got here and I saw this and I knew that you had to wear it, so I reserved it under your name so that no one could take it." I'm glad she did, because this dress… oh my goodness, words couldn't even describe. _If only David could see me now, _I found a small portion of my brain thinking, but I pushed the thoughts away. _You're in the Selection now, you have to focus on Asher, _I reminded myself. _Plus, it's not like David would ever date you. He just thinks you two are friends. _That thought saddened me a little, but then I caught sight of myself in the mirror of the changing room as I slipped on the sparkling gold heels Aria had brought, and I was instantly cheered up again.

**AN:**

Many things to discuss, ladies. Firstly, I spelled Riquel's last name wrong in the last chapter, but I already deleted the selecting chapter so that I could type this monstrous thing. It's Lockheart, not Lionheart. I knew it was weird that I had two Lion- named girls. Second-off, I was counting and I noticed that I actually only had 34 girls, so I just created one named Valentina Dodd. Since she's a last minute addition, she won't have a POV and she won't be a main character, and I'll eliminate her at the first elimination. Just in case you were wondering why the heck some random chick named Valentina kept showing up. Yeah, me too. Thirdly, it has been brought to my attention that Selected girls are Threes, not Twos. It's been awhile since I've read the first book in the series, so please forgive this inexcusable sin. I would change it but, like I said, already deleted. Last, I'm doing my best to keep up with the blog posts and the Polyvore, and if you didn't know the links are in my bio because whenever I put links in my stories, they don't seem to work. I think I'll start posting more blog posts, instead of just chapter summaries. Maybe some sneak peeks, or more surveys or polls. I know that when the story gets further along, and we've narrowed it down to the Elite, I think I'll have you guys vote and see which Elite you like best. Doesn't mean she'll win, but I just want to hear from you. That was way too many words. Love and kisses, and sorry that the author's note was almost as long as the chapter itself!

~margidee

Questions:

Who's makeover did you like the best? Whose makeover are you most looking forward to?

How do you think the Prince will react to meeting all of these beautiful girls?

Whose POV do you want to see next (a new girl, not someone whose POV has already been done)?


	4. Four - First Impressions are Everything

**JAZMYN HOWARD**

Anna, our matron or whatever, was prepping us for dinner, which was not an easy task, considering that we were all so thrilled by our recent makeovers and the whole glamour of the palace and the Selection itself that we couldn't stop talking to anyone about anything.

"Ladies, please, quiet down," Anna called for what must have been the fifth time. The chattering decreased in volume, and Anna continued her lesson.

"As I was saying, it is imperative that you are aware which fork, knife, and spoon is used for which part of the meal, and that you use your silverware as such. Does anyone know what this spoon is for?" Anna held one of three spoons above her head. It had a large, domed ladle and a curved handle with intricate carvings around the base. To my surprise, one of the Sevens - well, former Sevens - raised her hands.

"Yes, Lady Caitlin?" Anna called, and Caitlin answered, "It's a soup spoon, that's why the ladle is so big. I used to help my friends serve in a mansion, they taught me." I was amazed. Looks like caste wasn't actually everything here, coming from a former Two. Being downgraded a caste wasn't that big of a deal to me, because even if I didn't win the Selection, I'd be so famous that I'd still get to do magazine spreads and photoshoots and endorse people's products because, I mean, who didn't want to be able to say that one of the Daughters of Illeá drinks their brand of expensive water? Not to sound cocky, but I would be more popular after the Selection than I was before, which was fine with me.

We were drilled about silverware and proper table etiquette for forty-five more minutes until one of the maids came to fetch us, and Anna hurriedly pushed us into a single-file line and explained that we would each walk in one at a time when our name was announced and curtsey to the Prince and the royal family, then we would be escorted to our assigned seats for dinner.

"Lady Brianna Chase," was the first name announced, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn't them. I was somewhere towards the middle of the group, which was fine with me. At least I wasn't last, or first.

"Lady Jazmyn Howard," they called when it was my turn, and I strode confidently up to the spot, dropped into my best curtsey, and, feeling bold, flashed Prince Asher a sly little smile. He didn't respond but instead continued to stare, stony-faced, at the next girl in line. I was a little disappointed, but I was expecting as much. One of these girls, he was going to marry! I'd be a little stressed out if I were him! I was led to my seat, between Roselyn and Jillian, and I sat down and held my posture as best I could. As I watched, Prince Asher didn't really react to any of the other girls, but his family did. Occasionally, the King would lean in to the Queen and whisper something, or the twin princesses would exchange unreadable looks. The whole process, done in complete silence save for the announcing of the girls, was eerie.

**PRINCE ASHER SHALOM MAXON SCHREAVE**

Another beautiful girl walked in and curtseyed. She was Lady Alexandra, I believe. I stopped trying to interact with the girls after the first few. My stomach was full of butterflies, and moths, and other crawly bugs, and I was sure the entire hall could hear my heart pounding in my chest. It didn't help that every so often, one of my family members would glance at me to see how I was reacting to a certain girl, or how I was holding up. I just wanted to stand up and walk right out and go for a walk.

Before I knew it, the last girl was announced and seated, and it was my turn to say a few words. I managed to force my face into what I hoped was a pleasant grimace, and I pushed myself to my feet in order to give my speech.

"Ladies, welcome to the Palace. It's an honor to meet you all, and I'm sure that it will be just as wonderful getting to know you. Please enjoy your dinner, and best of luck to all of you." Three sentences. I actually spoke three sentences in front of the girls. Public speaking had always been a fear of mine, and now to have to do it in front of thirty-five beautiful girls was a nightmare. My father stood and said a few words to the Selected, and then it was time to eat. Dinner was a wonderful occasion in the palace, and even I recognized it, although I was born and raised with such spectacular meals. Now, however, with thirty-five more people at the table, dinner was a bit of a different occasion.

**PRINCESS NEVAEH MAY AMBERLY SCHREAVE**

"Which one do you think is the prettiest?" whispered Natalie. I fingered the sleeve of my long-sleeved lavender and gold gown, which cascaded down to my feet in waves of silky fabric. Scanning the Selected, I picked out gorgeous brunette with startlingly blue eyes and grey streaks in her hair.

"That one," I decided, casting a meaningful glance in her direction. It was rude to point, we were taught, but no one ever said anything about meaningful glances.

"Oh, that's the Seven, Lady Laila," Natalie answered immediately. Of course she knew who that was. She had a photographic memory, so naturally she'd memorized the Selected as soon as she saw their photos. Natalie was the smartest person I knew, and in my fifteen years of life, I'd never met anyone whose intelligence could even come close to rivaling that of my twin sister.

"I bet that Ash's going to ask Lady Sarah on a date first," Natalie whispered under her breath.

"Gimmie a day or so to get to know the girls and you're on. How much?" I inquired, taking another bite of the delicious roast beef. I don't know how Nat could stand to be a vegetarian when the palace chefs can make such good meat. That girl was crazy.

"If I win, I get to wear that blue dress that you have for a day, and if you win…"

"You have to do all of my homework for me for a day," I finished. This was a common bet of ours; Natalie would wear one of my dresses or some of my jewelry if she won, and if I won, she'd do my homework for me. It usually worked out fine, except for the time when she spilled soup all over my favorite dress. That was not pretty.

Soon, dinner was over, and the girls were all led to their rooms and our maids not-so-subtly shooed Nat and I out of the dining room so that Asher could talk to Mom and Dad alone. Naturally, we decided to listen in.

"Asher, you know you have a difficult journey ahead of you." That was my mother.

"If you ever have any trouble with the Selection for some reason, we're always here to help, you know," my father offered. "Most of those girls seem like lovely young ladies, but I have a bad feeling about a few of them."

"I know, and I won't hesitate to ask for your advice on anyone or anything that happens. Promise," Asher vowed, always the diplomat. Natalie and I scurried quickly away from the door when we heard the clicking of Mom's heels heading toward the door, and we sprinted all the way back to our room. We had a lot to discuss tonight.

**HEAD MAID MORWENNA LOCKE**

"My lady, are you sure you want to do this?" I asked, holding the candle higher up as it burned down to its last bits. The distraught woman in front of me nodded resolutely.

"I'm sure," she asserted. I bit my lip. What we were doing was highly illegal, and if we got caught, I don't know who the consequences would be worse for.

"Alright, I know just the right person. Come with me," I whispered, leading the way down the servant's hall to go speak to Eleanor.

**AN:**

Many things to discuss.

Sorry the update was so funky. Two chapters in one day! Mostly because I thought I'd posted Chapter 3 on Wednesday, but I guess I didn't, because I had a basketball game (for marching band, so I was playing music, not basketball. What do you think I am, an athlete?!). So, as a consequence, I posted Chapters 3 and 4 at the same time apparently. Sorry.

Remember to check out my blog and my Polyvore. The Polyvore actually has to do with Chapter 3, so if I didn't feature your character for a POV or a mention, and you want to know what her outfit looked like, click the link in my bio to go to my Polyvore profile and either scroll through all of the outfits and find your character's, or you can search the hashtags #syocselectionmeettheroyals or #syocselectionlady_ and insert your OC's name.

Next chapter will be mostly another filler, where the Selected are shown to their rooms and they meet their maids. No outfits for that, but I'll be posting some new stuff on the blog. HINT HINT.

Much love, ~margidee

Questions:

How do you like having the Prince's POV in there, as well as the other Royals or maids?

Which characters should I do POV's for next?

What do you think the Head Maid and the mysterious Selected are doing?


	5. Five - Slumber Party?

**RIQUEL LOCKHEART**

"Ladies," Anna called as she led us out of the dining hall. We stopped in a large, tall-ceilinged room with swooping windows giving us a glimpse of the gardens at sunset, and it was gorgeous.

"You will now be shown to your rooms, and your maids will be there waiting for you. Now, I expect you to treat your maids like you would treat any other Selected girl. After all, they can essentially make you look awful in front of the prince and have you embarrassed and eliminated. So, I recommend you are kind to them." I gulped. I wasn't used to having maids, I was used to being the maid. How would I talk to them? Should I address them as friends or as inferiors? I wished Rihanna was here, she would know exactly what to do. I'd have to write her a letter.

"Excuse me, Lady Riquel? This way please," a petite girl with fiery red hair tapped me on my shoulder. She was dressed in a palace uniform, so I guessed that she was a maid.

"I'm Autumn, your head maid," she introduced herself as she walked me up a flight of stairs and through some twisting hallways. Luckily, it wasn't that far of a route to travel to my room, once you found the Selected hallways. I just had to remember to go to the second hallway, and the last room on the left. I think I could do that.

Autumn unlocked the room and opened the door, allowing me to enter first. Inside the room, there was a large bed, much larger than mine at home, with copious amounts of pillows and decorative things, and a sleek wooden desk with a small spinning chair. There was a little couch in front of a large, clean window… _wait, I was in the middle of the castle. Why did I have a window_? I'd have to ask my maids about that later.

"Lady Riquel, this is Zoey and Anabel, your other maids," Autumn introduced, gesturing first to a girl with New Asian dark hair and light skin, and then to a curvy blonde who was wearing a rather lot of makeup for a maid. They both dipped into flawless curtseys, which I clumsily returned.

"Um, excuse me? Why do I have a window in my room?" I asked, feeling a little bit silly.

"Oh, it's not a window, it's a television screen that projects images of Illeá so that you can feel more at home," Anabel explained while she helped me unzip my dress. Even though it had a dangerously low scoop neck, there was still a tiny zipper running down my left side to help me step in and out of it easier.

"That makes sense," I murmured, letting myself be guided around the room so that I was soon ready for bed. I was a little bit surprised when Zoey began to tuck me in, but I was tired enough to just go with it, not to mention that the bed felt like heaven. _I could get used to this_, I thought as I trailed off into dreams.

**ALEXANDRA LYNWOOD**

I was led to my room by a severe-looking older woman with salt-and-pepper hair who introduced herself as Lily, my head maid. In my room, there was a large, cushy bed - nothing like the ones at the New Kirov Ballet Academy, my previous home - and a desk with lots of space. It was just the right height to work as a barre, so I could keep dancing a little bit and staying in shape even while I was away from the Academy. My other two maids, Norah and Grace, helped me change for bed while I chattered away about being Selected, and my trip here, and then the makeovers and dinner. Norah and Grace were twins, and it was almost eerie to see them both braiding and brushing my light brown hair and nodding in synch to whatever I was saying.

"Lady Alexandra, in case you don't want to go to bed yet, there are some girls out in the hallway that are still socializing at this hour, if you'd like to join them," Lily alerted me, but her tone and her glare made me think that she considered the idea ridiculous. Actually, I thought it sounded fun, so I had Grace fetch me a dressing gown to wear over my thin chiffon nightdress, and I ventured out into the halls. Despite the late hour, there were lots of Selected still hovering around the halls, and the lights were on all throughout my hallway, and I could see a warm glow and hear conversation from the hallway next door to mine, where the other half of the Selected were staying. I decided to figure out who was staying in the other hallway, because I could focus on learning the girls in my hall later. Hopefully we'd all be staying here for a while.

"Hey, you're Alexandra, right?" A short girl with thick brown hair approached me, quirking her head to the side. I nodded.

"Oh cool, I'm Delaney," she replied. "Hey, do you wanna come over to my room? I've got some other girls from my hallway coming over in a few minutes, I want to get to know everyone. What do you say?"

"Sounds great," I smiled. Awesome, I'd already made a friend.

"Cool, my room's this one… I think," Delaney led me into the next hallway over and to the last door on the left side of the hallway. Cautiously, she pushed it open and we entered. There was another girl sitting in there and she looked very surprised to see us come in.

"Why are you in my room?" she demanded, awkwardly clutching her half-unzipped dress to her chest.

"Oh my God I'm so sorry, I thought this was my room. I'm Delaney by the way, if we haven't scarred you for life then you should come on over and chat with me and some of the other girls - I guess my room is the next one down," Delaney laughed, covering her eyes.

"Let me get dressed first and then I'll come," the girl giggled. "I'm Ariella. Not Arielle, but Ariell-_a_."

"Well okay, Ariella, see you soon," Delaney turned and pushed us out of the room. We collapsed into a giggle fit as soon as the door to her room was shut.

"I can't believe you walked into someone else's room!" I gasped, tears streaming out of my eyes.

"I can't believe it either! That's the most embarrassing thing I've ever done!"

"I bet it can't be as embarrassing as the time I fell off of my bike when I was seven into a river," laughed a new voice from the doorway. I recognized Lady Ever, the famous actress. She smiled as she stepped into the room.

"You're Alexandra, right? I'm Ever, Delaney invited me over," she smiled, holding her hand out to me. Reluctantly I shook it. Ever seemed nice enough, but something in her eyes was closed off, like she was holding back.

"Now we're just waiting for Ariella, Paige, and Rani and we'll be good to go," Delaney cheered, flopping back onto the bed. I sat down on the couch by the window - a real window, since Delaney was on the outside edge of the palace. Ever sat on the bed next to Delaney, and when the other girls arrived, Ariella took the desk chair, and Paige and Rani sat on the floor. It was a crowded little party.

We all took turns talking about ourselves and our previous lives and getting to know each other, and at the end of our get-together my sides hurt from laughing and I was reluctant to go to bed. Maybe the Selection wouldn't be so bad after all, except the no dancing part.

**CECELIA CONROY**

"Lady Cecelia, will you please come this way," my head maid Christina instructed. "You see, we had thirty-four regulation rooms, but since there are thirty-five girls staying at our palace for now, we've placed you in a room that is slightly larger than the other girls' rooms, just until the eliminations happen, then you can move into one of their old rooms." I nodded, happy that I got a bigger room. Living as a Four wasn't always the best, but I made do. Now, I was at the palace being told I had a special room! Go me!

When we reached the hallway, I was shown to the very back of the hall, with a small, nondescript door at the end of the hall. Christina clicked it open and I was speechless. The room was mostly white with a hint of gold and purple accents, with a large canopy bed and a plush rug that I could feel my feet sinking into. There was a huge desk, and a couch, and a TV, and tucked away in the corner was a little fireplace! Perfect, because I get cold often.

"This room is really spectacular," I breathed to no one in particular, but my three maids heard me and nodded their agreement.

"Lady Cecelia, my name is Monica," piped up one of the other two maids that I hadn't met. She dipped into a curtsey and I smiled graciously at her.

"I'm Jessie," the other maid introduced, and she curtseyed as well. I had my maids run me a nice hot bubble bath, and I soaked for almost forty-five minutes until the bubbles were gone, then I had them brush out my long honey-blonde hair until it shone, and then I went to bed. I was asleep before my head even touched the pillows.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Hopefully this chapter gets posted on time. I know yall love your two-chapters-in-one-day surprise, but that only (usually) happens if I forgot to post something, or the chapter wasn't finished in time. Hope you liked this chapter, because it took me a long time to write. If you're curious as to where your Selected are staying, I've got a post on my blog called "Some Aesthetic Assistance" where you can look at all the different people's bedrooms including the Selected rooms (which are all the same) and the Royals' rooms and the maids' quarters. It's great. So… next chapter will be the Women's Room and they'll meet the Queen and the two Princesses. If you didn't know, the Princesses are twins. Oops. Um, not much else that I can tell you other than remember to review, and check out the Polyvore and the blog. Muah, love you lots!

Margidee

Questions:

How do you like the maids?

Are you excited for the girls to meet the Royalty women?

Whose POV should I do next?


	6. Six - A Lesson In Luck

**PRINCESS NATALIE KENNA BRIA SCHREAVE**

"Welcome, ladies," announced my mother in her Royalty voice. "As you know, I am Queen America and these are my daughters, Princess Nevaeh and Princess Natalie." I nodded as my name was called, just like I had been instructed to. Nevaeh and I, dressed in corresponding royal purple dresses with our gold tiaras and gold sashes, smiled angelically at the thirty-five eager Selected sitting in various places around the room. I recognized a few of them from last night… well, who was I kidding. I knew exactly who each one was, the names of all their siblings, which caste they were in before becoming Threes for the Selection, and their job. Perks of having a photographic memory.

"You are here for one reason and one reason alone," Mom continued. "And that is to compete to win the heart of my son, Prince Asher. As you well know, only one of you will win, but winning isn't everything in this competition. You will make life-long friends here, and create memories that someday you will be telling your children." I nodded along, paying attention to everything my mother was saying. Nevaeh and I were the only other ones who knew how scripted it was. What kind of mother could be so blasé about talking about her son's future bride, _to _her son's future bride. Out of the corner of my eye, Nevaeh and I exchanged glances. I noticed Lady Linnea and Lady Cassidy sitting next to each other and occasionally leaning in to whisper to each other. I wondered what they were saying, straining my ears to hear. Nope, nothing. They were talking too quietly. I think they noticed me listening, however, because they stopped talking just at the same time as my mother finished her speech.

"Now, you girls will have a lesson with Anna, and then the eliminations will be tomorrow on the Report. You will all have a chance to introduce yourselves and let the audience at home meet you a little bit, and then, unfortunately, some of you will be going home. Thank you for your time, and best of luck to you all," Mom finished regally. I saw Lady Engalu examining her manicure like it was more important than the Queen's words. _Hmm, wonder who'll be eliminated first_, I thought sarcastically to myself. Instead of voicing my opinion, however, I just curtseyed to the girls and followed Nevaeh and my mother out of the room.

**ESPERANZA SHORE**

"Okay ladies, now that you've met the Queen and the Princesses, it's time to get down to business. Today we will be talking about how to behave on the Report tomorrow evening," Anna began, pacing around the room. I gulped nervously and groped around on the couch next to me for Kelley's hand. I found it and squeezed tightly. She squeezed back equally as hard.

"Tomorrow night, you will be introducing yourselves to Illéa on the Report, so that the country can get to know who you are a little bit better, and keep in mind, they haven't seen you since your makeovers, and some of you have changed drastically," Anna said, glancing over at Lady Linnea, whose new-fangled short 'do was the only one in the sea of long locks in the Selection.

The lesson went on for about an hour, and we were instructed on how to do a proper simple curtsey, how to introduce ourselves correctly and what to say, and the proper behavior for being on the Report when we weren't talking.

"Excuse me," someone - was it Kendall? - inquired, raising her hand tentatively. Anna nodded at her. "What will we be wearing tomorrow?"

"Ah yes, the dresses. As tradition goes, all of you will be dressed in various shades of purple or gold, the palace colors, and the dresses will be fairly plain. Not saying that you will all look the same, perse, but that you will all have something similar to each other. It's just a sign of respect toward Illéa," Anna explained. I nodded to myself, remembering the tapes from Selections past of all the thirty-five girls gowned in splendid shades of dark purple, pale gold, lilac, flaxseed, everything.

"The final forty-five minutes of our lesson will be spent up in your rooms with your maids, and you will find in your quarters, a file with different skirt and neckline options for your dresses, and your maids will take your measurements and begin creating your dress for tomorrow night. I think that will be all, so off you go," Anna finished, leaving the room to leave the excitedly chattering girls to themselves. As soon as she was gone all thirty-five of us flooded toward the door, ready to head up to our dormitories and have our dress fittings done.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry for the lack of postage and the horrible filler chapter! This note will be pretty short because most of what I have to say is (or will be) posted on my blog. As for your something extra, I'm posting each of the girls' dresses for the Report on my Polyvore! I'm not making entire outfits for them all because as much as I wish I had that much time, I don't, so I'm just posting dresses and leaving the rest up to your imagination.

Love, margidee 3

Questions:

Who do you think will be eliminated on the Report next chapter?

Whose dress did you like best?

Are you mad because my chapters have been irregular and crappy? (Please don't be!)


	7. Seven - The First Elimination

**BRIANNA CHASE**

This was it. Tonight was the night when we would get to find out whether we stayed past the preliminary rounds of the competition or left to go home. I fingered the hem of my short white-and-gold cocktail dress that my amazing maids Piper, Josephine, and Savannah had whipped up overnight. My hair was styled ornately to make up for the fairly plainness of my dress. I tried to distract myself with some small talk with Tara, but I was too nervous, and couldn't pay attention to the conversation well enough to get past more than pleasantries. Finally, Anna signaled to us that it was time to get in line to go onstage and introduce ourselves. I filed in behind Tara, listening to my heart pound like a drum. Through the blood rushing in my ears I could hear Derek and the Prince exchange some friendly banter, and then it was time to go onstage. _Remember, walk on, curtsey, say your name and your province, and sit down, _I reminded myself over and over. _It's not so hard, you're stressing about nothing. _Yeah, like introducing myself was what I was stressing about. As I got closer and closer to the front of the line I could clearly see the papers clutched in Prince Asher's hands, the names of the ten girls who would be going home tonight.

Soon it was my turn to go onstage. I walked out as confidently as I could and dropped into a graceful curtsey. Hopefully I wasn't too shaky or pale or scared-looking.

"Hello your Highness, my name is Lady Brianna Chase and I'm from Midston." There. Talking over. I turned abruptly on my heel and strode to my seat between Tara and Michelle. Soon, it would be time to know.

**MICHELLE KENYON**

"Welcome, Daughters of Illéa, to tonight's episode of the Report. I'm your host Derek Fadaye and tonight, however it may turn out for some of you, is truly a night of celebration. The Selection is underway and the royal family couldn't be happier, and on a more business-y, boring side of things, the King has made great progress negotiating a trade deal with Italy. But of course, that's not why we have thirty-five beautiful guests on tonight's show, am I right ladies and gentlemen?" Derek grinned widely at the camera. He seemed unfazed by the constant lights and cameras on his every move tonight. I wish I could be that natural in front of cameras. I almost choked on my own tongue when I had to introduce myself and say "Lady Michelle Kenyon, from Denbeigh," and to think about doing a whole show by myself… ugh, the horrors. But no time to dwell on that now, the Prince was starting his part.

"Ladies, although your stay at the palace has been brief thus far, it is with my greatest regret that I announce these ten names that will be leaving us tonight. I haven't met you yet but my family's opinions are very important to me, and I have conferred with them to help make this decision. The women going home tonight are…"

**JILLIAN BIRCHMORE**

_Please not me. Please not me_. The chanting thoughts echoing in my mind almost drowned out the Prince's list of names. Almost.

"Lady Brianna Chase. Lady Michelle Kenyon." Oh good, maybe he's going in alphabetical order and they skipped B for Birchmore.

"Lady Jillian Birchmore." Or maybe not. I tried my hardest to contain my sobs. I couldn't go home! The prince hadn't even spoken to me yet! He hadn't had enough time to realize that I was his true love! This cannot be happening. This is some sort of test for his favorites, to figure out who can handle themselves the best under tough pressure. Yeah, that's it.

**VALENTINA DODD**

"Lady Jillian Birchmore. Lady Valentina Dodd. Lady Linnea Pena. Lady Maegen Byrd. Lady Cecelia Conroy. Lady Renae Staedtler. I'm sorry ladies, but this will be the last we will be seeing of each other for now." Ha, good riddance. I never wanted to be in this stupid Selection anyway. Around me I noticed lots of near-crying girls, and it made me want to laugh out loud. Who would be crying over such a sissy prince? He'd probably never even been to military camp. Now, however, I had some extra cash to blow, I was officially a Three, and I could go back to my life at the post with my secret fiance, although since I've been eliminated and it's not treason to be engaged to someone else, we could probably announce our engagement soon. That's nice.

**RENAE STAEDTLER**

I actually thought I had a chance, too. My name was the last one called. I thought for sure that someone else's name would come spilling out of Asher's mouth. Oh well.

As the Report came to a close, there was apparently a tradition where the eliminated girls had to stand up and walk off stage for a final time, which was actually kind of embarrassing. I mean, why would you want to publicise the fact that you just got eliminated from the Selection and you're pretty much a failure. Backstage as Derek finished up the Report, I absently consoled one of the crying girls - was it Brianna? Jillian? - and waited to be told what to do next.

A guard soon showed up and tapped me on the shoulder.

"Lady Renae?" he asked. "It's time to go. Let me take you to your car."

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Okay, so that ending sounded really ominous, but I promise it's not. She got driven to the airport and flown back to her province and everyone threw her a party and she met a cute boy, just like all of the other girls. Well, most of them… okay that sounded really creepy too. Geez, what's up with me and really creepy endings today? Anywho, this chapter wasn't really too much of a filler, and since I have so much time on my hands I may or may not work on another chapter to post tomorrow. Maybe. That wasn't a jokingly suggestive "may or may not" that really meant I will, that was actually a consideration. If I have time, I'll work on another chapter. However, I have lots of outfits to work on for stuff that goes on later in the story, and I have to update the blog and do my homework and watch Dance Moms and eat cookies. I'm pretty busy, you guys. (Hopefully you realized that that was part of my sarcasm overuse issue. Sorry [again, sarcasm]).

Love and Kisses and Sugar Cookies,

Margidee ;)

Questions:

Whose reaction to the eliminations was your favorite?

Who do you think will be eliminated next?

Do you like eliminations on the Report like this?


	8. Eight - Royal Guests

**ELAINE WINSLOW**

Glad I survived that elimination. I spent all night last night tossing and turning until I couldn't bear it anymore and decided to hang out on my balcony for a breath of fresh air. I was talking to Arielle - the only friend I'd made so far - at breakfast, and she said that only a few rooms in the Selected hallways had balconies, and apparently mine was one of them.

Now, waiting to be told what today would bring, I sat next to Arielle in the Women's room, fiddling with the fabric of my plain sunny-yellow sundress. Apparently it was hard for some people to pull off yellow, according to my head maid Sofia, but I had always been able to wear it.

"What do you think will happen to the girls who got eliminated last night?" Arielle asked me in a hushed voice, although the Women's Room was filled with the sounds of girls no doubt having the same conversation. I shrugged noncommittally.

"They'll probably be sent home, I guess," I answered. Arielle looked like she wanted to discuss it more, but at that moment, the door to the Women's Room creaked open and revealed Anna, trailed by her silent but ever-present assistant.

"Ladies, I have important news," she began pompously as she took her place at the front of the room. "Tomorrow, the King will be having guests over for a series of meetings and then a dinner party, and you all have been invited to attend. Of course, we haven't been prepared enough for visiting diplomats, and lord knows we still need time to learn the proper courtesies for when guests come to visit, but nonetheless, tomorrow you will be attending - not hosting quite yet - the King's party, and I expect you all to be on your best behavior. So, on to today's lesson…" I tuned out. Guests? Must be some royalties, to have a whole dinner party thrown in their honor. My heart churned nervously in my chest. This could be a deciding factor for the eliminations, since we hadn't met the Prince yet. I'd heard tell that we would be doing interviews with him in the next couple of days before he started the dates, but still. A queen who can't handle a dinner party _as a guest _certainly can't handle a whole country as a monarch.

The lesson dragged on and on, and we learned how to curtsey properly, how to walk properly, how to sit properly, how to talk properly, how to eat properly, and how to be a good guest at a royal festivity. Being the end of summer, the party would still be held outside in the gardens, so that was a plus. I'd been meaning for a chance to go out and explore the Queen's fabulous gardens, but even though we'd only been here a few days, I'd been too busy. Hopefully all my days aren't like this.

After a few hours, Anna dismissed us to take our lunches in our room so we could have some time to be fitted for our dresses for the party tomorrow. I returned to my room to find it spotless and clean, and my three maids Sofia, Scarlet, and Aria sitting around the room chatting amiably and darning. They jumped to attention when I entered the room, but with a wave of my hand I dismissed them.

"There's a party tomorrow, and it's in the gardens, and I need a dress," I informed them as I sat on my bed and yanked off my shoes. Who in their right mind would want to wear heels all day, every day? I'd have to find some stylish flats or sandals, because my feet were definitely not tough enough for this.

"We've heard, my lady, and we've been doing a little of planning and all we need to do is take a few extra measurements and then, assuming you like the dress, we'll get right on it," Aria exclaimed excitedly. I nodded absently, too wrapped up in my thoughts about the party tomorrow. I had to remember everything from the lessons today, or else my chances of survival in this competition were gone.

As I waited for my lunch to be delivered, I stood at attention with my arms out so that my maids could measure my wingspan, the length of my back, how tall I was, and other seemingly random places. Once they were done, Sofia began to explain their idea for the dress.

"Since you have light hair, we were thinking a bright rosy color, with a high neck and an open back and little lace sleeves. See, if we inserted a bit of lace here -" she gestured to a spot on the rough drawing she had laid out in front of me - "then it would set off the color of your eyes, and draw attention to this part here." She was interrupted by a knocking on the door. It was my lunch! A jug of cool lemonade, half of a roast chicken, some freshly baked rolls, and a basket of fruit. I moved aside the fruit basket and discovered a small plate of sweets in all different pastel colors. I was definitely excited to eat this lunch.

**MAIA DI ROSSI**

The dinner party was tonight, and my dress still wasn't done! My incompetent maids Paris, Ivy, and Mia were sewing their little hearts out to get it done on time, so either they were slackers and bad at time management, or it was a real killer dress. I was hoping for the second option, but it was more likely to be the first. I had to go to lunch in the Women's Room soon, but I wanted to stay and oversee the girls to make sure they didn't mess up this dress. I had very specific ideas for how I wanted it to look, and I didn't want them to start getting creative with it. Just stick to my guidelines and they'd be fine.

My hair was still wet from my shower earlier this morning after my run at sunrise, so I just twisted it up into a bun and slipped on a simple black sleeveless dress. I wasn't used to wearing dresses all the time. I personally was more accustomed to cleats, shorts, and soccer jerseys. I mean, what else can you expect from a soccer star who spends ten hours a day playing soccer and another three training? Not dresses and four-inch heels, that's for sure. I was bound to break an ankle in these infernal things.

I headed down to the Women's Room alone, unlike most of the other girls who felt safer traveling with a pack. Inside the room, most of the girls were already seated at the small circular tables placed around the room, and the only empty spot was at a table with Riquel and some girl whose name I didn't know. She didn't look like anyone I knew, but she must have been in the Selection. Maybe I missed her during the introductions on the Report the other night.

"Hi, I'm Maia," I introduced myself, offering my hand out to her. Timidly, she shook it back.

"I'm… Caitlin." Did she forget her own name? Why would she hesitate so much? I shook it off and smiled at Riquel.

"Excited for the party tonight?" She asked, giving me a smile of her own.

"Yeah, assuming my maids can finish my dress in time. It's still not done and Anna said we'd be starting prep after lunch!" I exclaimed indignantly, rolling my eyes. Riquel looked appropriately surprised.

"It's not done? You'll have to find something to wear then. Or I suppose you could go naked. Be original, be a trendsetter," she joked, and I laughed aloud. I could always do that, although that would surely get me eliminated faster. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea.

Riquel and I talked for the entire meal, and we occasionally tried to engage with Caitlin, who didn't seem to want to talk. I thought someone said Caitlin was outgoing and bubbly and talkative. Apparently not.

Lunch was served and promptly devoured, and soon girls began to file out of the room to rejoin their maids to begin preparing for the dinner party tonight. I bade the girls farewell and headed up to my room, dreading the inevitable bad news that my dress would be half-sewn. Well, here goes nothing…

**DELANEY SCOTT**

This dinner party was going to be a disaster. At least I would look nice. I kept reciting everything I could remember from Anna's lessons out loud to my maids Evangeline, Ruby, and Madelyn, but no matter how many times I practiced the proper way to say you're full, or start a conversation with the diplomats, would I feel accurately prepared for the party. My maids were putting the final touches on my emerald green gown when I came back from lunch, so Ruby ran me a hot bath complete with scented oils and rose petals while they finished, and I'd spent the rest of the afternoon having my hair, makeup, and nails done and I had just slipped the dress on. Honestly, it was gorgeous. I loved the way it hugged my sides but not too tight, and I could definitely wear it all evening. The shoes, however, were another story.

"My darling, you look _très beau_," cried Madelyn. She was definitely French, you could tell by her petite looks and her thick accent, not to mention that she often slipped back into her native language. I blushed nonetheless, assuming that she was complimenting me.

Just as my maids were helping me fasten my necklace behind my neck, a knock sounded on the door.

"It's open," I called, unsure of who it would be. Turns out it was a guard, who had been assigned to escort me down to the party. I gulped.

At the party, the guests were already seated at the places of honor at the head table, and each Selected was left to fend for herself and look for her assigned place at one of the smaller tables. Besides the Royals, the Selected, and the guests, who I heard were New Asian diplomats, there were other well-dressed men and women, whom I assumed were council members and their wives, along with scores of servants. As was tradition, once everyone was seated, the diplomats stood and gave a greeting and a little blessing in their native language or custom, and then the food was served. Tonight it was a seafood pasta type thing with some unfamiliar spices, but despite taking some getting used to the texture, I actually kind of liked it. I was seated at a table with Wren, the quiet but exquisitely beautiful girl from Panama, and a few councilmen's wives. They introduced themselves as Lady Charlotte Boniview and Lady Cathal Larkin, prompting me to inquire about their titles.

"Oh, well, apparently councilmen and their wives are elevated to lords and ladies too. Who would have thought? Not me, not when I was seventeen and madly in love with the Three down the street," Lady Charlotte sighed, remembering. It felt strangely foreign to me, calling other women that weren't in the Selection Lady this-or-that. I almost felt… jealous? Like I was the only one who should possess that title?

After the small serving of the pasta, the waiters produced steaming bowls of a tasteless chicken broth with strangely shaped noodles floating around, along with paper-thin shreds of carrot and little flakes of green spices. It was surprisingly delicious, with the delicate flavor of the broth and the different style of cooking the noodles, which were actually stuffed with meat.

The best part of the meal, besides the lovely company, was by far the dessert. At first, I refused to touch it. It was a kind of green and white jelly, striped in layers, but after Cathal, the bravest of the four of us, decided to try a little nibble and said she loved it, that I made a deal with Wren that we would eat ours at the same time.

"One, two, three!" I counted down, and then took a small bite of the delicacy. And boy, was I glad I did. It had a weird jiggly texture but it tasted like a million different things, like fruit and traveling and fresh air and imagination. _Kind of what Asher's lips must taste like,_ a small part of my brain giggled. The thought surprised me so much, even though it was my own, that I almost choked on the bite of dessert-y heaven that I was trying to swallow.

"That," I gasped, "was amazing."

**ROSELYN TATYANNA**

A few days after the dinner party and my head was still reeling. I went around to lessons and hanging out in the Women's Room in a daze, still mulling over the occurrences at the party. The Prince talked to me. He asked me my name, how I was doing, and how I was liking the palace so far. Then… my head still spins thinking about it. He asked me to meet him outside the Women's Room tonight! I had a date with the Prince of Illéa! Of course, I'd gone back and reported it to my maids, who were already aware, and who had already begun working on an outfit. Apparently they knew what the Prince was planning for the date, and even I didn't know! I sat at the "window" in my room, which was actually a screen programmed to reflect the outside weather, and gazed out. It was raining, which made me a little nervous. What if Asher had wanted to do something outside, like go for a walk or something? Did this mean our date was canceled?

"No honey, this just means that he'll have to adapt, or if his plans were never for the outside, you'll just carry on as usual," answered my head maid Rose, a portly middle-aged woman with a steel exterior but a heart of gold. I didn't realize I had been voicing my thoughts out loud, and I blushed.

"Don't worry my lady, the Prince is very smart, shy as he may be. He'd have a backup plan if something went wrong," added one of my other maids, Emily. I cast a quick curious glance in her direction, where she sat in the corner of the room sewing something I couldn't discern.

"What do you mean the Prince is shy? He's the crown prince of Illea, he speaks on the Report every week," I questioned. From my brief impression of him, Asher was anything but shy. Not that he was necessarily outgoing but he definitely didn't strike me as, well, shy.

"Oh, I wasn't supposed to tell you that," Emily exclaimed, faltering under a fierce glare from Rose. She covered her face with her hands, shaking her head. Before Rose could scold her, I spoke up.

"It's okay, really, don't worry about it. I won't tell anyone," I reassured her, trying to take some of the punishment from her. Rose didn't say anything however, because at that moment my third maid Brielle returned from her run to the kitchen for some snacks.

"The Prince's maids say he's almost ready! We have to hurry," she bustled, setting the tray of cookies and hot chocolate down on the dresser hurriedly and grabbing up a comb in her hand, getting to work on my hair immediately. I winced a little as she tugged on the tangled black strands. Rose and Emily shrieked and Emily almost dropped the skirt she was finishing up sewing.

"I'll run to the Accessory Room, Emily, start doing makeup. You know what the clothes look like, make the makeup match," Rose instructed, bustling out of the room. I sat, obedient, like a little doll as my hair was brushed, curled, and braided up and around, and my eyes were highlighted and darkened and sparkled. Soon, Rose was back with a few jewelry boxes and a pair of shoes.

"Girls, why aren't you finished yet? Oh, never mind, just hurry. Lady Roselyn, put these on," Rose barked, shoving the jewelry boxes at me. Inside the larger one was a thick gold necklace with light pink flowers and accents, and the smaller box contained dangly heart-shaped earrings with gold detailing and pink accents. They were gorgeous, and I had just finished hooking the necklace behind my head when Brielle and Emily announced that they were done with hair and makeup. Emily went to fetch the outfit she had been sewing and then the three ladies helped me into it. I slipped on the shoes as I turned around to look in the mirror as Rose bustled about with the finishing touches to the outfit. I had a rosy tan blouse with no sleeves and a black skirt with little flowers, and some cute ankle boots. Everything matched perfectly, and I looked amazing.

Just as I was done, a knock sounded on my door. I headed over to the door to open it and reveal Prince Asher, dressed casually but nicely in a loose collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and some nice black pants and dress shoes. His hair was endearingly messy, and he looked adorably nervous. My mind flashed back to what Emily had let slip about him being shy.

"Hi," I smiled, trying my hardest not to sound breathless. And failing, I noted embarrassedly. Asher smiled a little bit back.

"Hi, Lady Roselyn. Are you ready?" Definitely didn't sound nervous. Such a royal-sounding voice.

"Yeah, and you can call me Rose," I answered. My mind seemed able to only form fragmented sentences, which would not come in handy, but my mouth worked for itself and sounded very composed, like _Yeah, I go on dates with princes every other weekend. When I'm not dating kings. _At least I sounded ready.

"Okay Rose, let's get going." It could have sounded rude, but the way he said it was only joking. He offered me his arm and I accepted it, and together he led me down the hall.

"So, originally, I'd planned to have a picnic outside," Asher explained as we walked down the halls. I had no idea where we were going, but Asher seemed to know so I just let him walk and concentrated on what he was saying. "But, since the weather obviously had other plans, I had to modify my idea a little bit. I hope you don't mind," Asher seemed genuinely concerned. He probably didn't care at all, just wanted to get this date over with, but I just let myself believe the first option. I mean, not every day did a Prince have to alter his plans for you.

"Well, since you seem like you know what you're doing, I guess I'll go along," I joked lightheartedly, trying to sound witty and funny. Apparently it worked, because Asher cracked a cute little smile.

"Honestly, I've no idea what I'm doing. I've never… dated anyone before," Asher blushed, rubbing one hand nervously on the back of his neck.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean -"

"It's alright," he interjected. I knew better than to pursue the issue.

The rest of the date was nice. Not fun, particularly, because I knew I'd blown it when I brought up the dating other people thing, but I knew that the prince was trying his best. He'd set up a little indoor picnic by a tall window and arranged some plants to make it seem like we were outside, and we ate a delicious meal of cold turkey sandwiches and cookies and lemonade. The date was cordial, but nothing special. I didn't really feel a connection. At the end of the night, Asher walked me to my room, kissed me on the hand, and bade me goodnight.

**EVER LIONCOURT**

"Did you hear? The Prince went on a date with Roselyn last night," an excited Arielle informed me over breakfast.

"Really? What happened?"gasped Maia from Arielle's other side. I leaned in closer, casting a quick glance in Roselyn's direction. Did she look smug? Was that little smile directed at the Prince? No, I was just being paranoid. I focused my attention back to Arielle's story.

"- so then, since it was raining, they did their picnic inside instead. She wouldn't tell me what happened after." Maia looked skeptical, and a little bit bored, but inside I felt a little bit threatened. Would I be eliminated? No, it's too soon to tell.

When breakfast was over I let the maids clear my plate and then headed out of the dining room. Before I could leave, however, a hand caught my shoulder.

"Wait, Lady Ever, are you free this afternoon?" I turned and came face to face with the gorgeous ocean blue eyes of Prince Asher. I almost died. _Play it cool, play it cool. _

"Well, I think we have lessons, but I'm sure I could be excused," I answered, trying to sound like I didn't know what was going on.

"Perfect. It's my friend's birthday later this weekend and I'd like for you to come and help me pick out a present for her. I'm terrible at giving girls gifts," he chuckled a little at the end, oblivious to my almost fangirl-like reaction.

"Sure, I can help, after all, I'm renown for my gift-giving back in Columbia," I joked, trying to sound cool. _Play it cool. _

"Well then, it's a date." Was he using date in the casual way, or was he using date as, like, an actual date, like, the girls would be gossiping about it at dinner tonight? Hopefully the second one. I smiled and we parted ways. As soon as Asher was out of sight, I did a silent cheer for myself and skipped all the way back up to my room where my maids were waiting with an outfit all laid out.

"We heard about your date!" squealed Stella, one of my maids, but was instantly hushed by Penelope, the head maid. Penelope was the youngest of the maids but looking at her, you couldn't tell. She had a streak of grey in her dark black hair, and her face was starting to show evidence of wrinkles. Isla was the oldest, and she sometimes had trouble moving around the room because her joints were so stiff, so she was usually put in charge of sewing.

"Thank you so much! I'm really excited!" I squealed as Stella helped fasten the adorable golden dress behind my back.

"Since you're going shopping at a -"

"Wait, don't tell her Stella! It's supposed to be a surprise!" Penelope reprimanded, and Stella clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Never mind," she squeaked fearfully, handing me my shoes and a pair of glasses, then getting to work fastening a black bandana around my head and styling my hair so it flowed loosely around the bandana.

Soon, the Prince knocked on the door to pick me up. I checked my appearance one more time in the mirror, applied another coat of lipstick, and opened the door. He had changed from what he was wearing at breakfast, and was now dressed in a comfortable-looking sweater and some plain khaki pants.

"Are you ready?" he smiled. I nodded and took his arm as he led me out the door. Even wearing the adorable heels I was, Asher was still a good few inches taller than me, which I thought was totally adorable.

On the walk down to the driveway, where a car was waiting, we made small talk about our childhood, mostly mine. The car was a dark-windowed vehicle that was low to the ground, and like the gentleman he was, Asher opened my door for me before switching around to the other side and climbing in.

"Downtown Shopping District please," he asked the driver, and we were off.

The shopping district was a bustling place, and it was so busy that the driver had to drop us off a few blocks away and we walked all the way in. We made our way through the crowds and to a little hole-in-the-wall antiques shop in the middle of the market.

"She likes antiques, which I honestly don't understand at all," Asher shrugged, gesturing to a rather ugly vase on display in the window. I giggled.

"Well, what's she like?"

"Um, she likes to read, and she collects cool artwork," he explained, and I began to search for items. There was a cute little picture of a dog wearing glasses and peering out from behind a newspaper propped up in the corner, and I headed over to that.

"Asher, what do you think about this one?" I asked, turning around, but he wasn't there.

"Asher?"

"That? Oh, she'd love it!" Asher popped out from behind a display of leather gloves wearing a strange-looking hat and a bulky fur coat. I burst out laughing, because he looked so ridiculous. He struck a few poses, causing me to double over.

"Stop, stop, I can't handle it!" I wheezed, clutching my stomach.

"Well then why don't you try one on," Asher suggested, plopping a sparkly feathered hat onto my head. I caught one glimpse of of my reflection in a mirror across the store and lost it again, tears streaming out of my eyes.

We spent a few hours wandering the market and trying all the food and all the clothes before we headed back to the antique shop to buy the picture of the glasses dog.

The car ride home was fun, almost as fun as the actual date, but when we arrived at the palace and got out of the car, a stern-looking advisor rushed Asher away to a meeting before he could say goodbye, so I walked back up to my room by myself, reliving all the amazing moments that had happened on the date.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Okay, first off; did anyone else get hungry while they were reading about the food at the dinner party? I'm not sure if those dishes even exist because I'm about as white as they come and I hardly ever eat ethnic food, but it sounded good so I invented it. It's _New _Asian, not current Asian. Duh. Second, not gonna make excuses why I didn't post except that I flew back from a trip yesterday, which was when I usually posted, so I didn't post, obviously. I'll do better, I'm really truly sorry. I won't ever leave you guys hanging.

I'm going to publish the date outfits chapter by chapter, so whoever has a date, their outfit will be published. If someone is eliminated without a date, I'll publish it as their elimination outfit. That should be a hint to you guys that there may or may not be an elimination coming up soon. Hint hint. Even though I just told you. K bye, love you!

-Margidee

Questions:

Whose date idea was your favorite?

Which girls do you think might be eliminated soon?

Who do you want to see more of in the next few chapters?


	9. Nine - The Interview

**CH 9 THE INTERVIEW**

**ASHER SHALOM MAXON SHREAVE**

Time to interview the girls, I reminded myself for the millionth time. I paced the hallway outside the interview room nervously. When I was let in to see the first girl, my heart sank. It was Lady Roselyn, the one whose date I ruined on accident. Well, here goes nothing.

"Hi there Lady Roselyn," I greeted, trying to give her my most natural smile. _You're not shy, you're not shy._

"Good morning, Your Highness," she answered, a little forced.

"So, tell me about your family," I inquired, remembering back to the list of questions my tutor had walked me through. Roselyn blushed a little bit and looked away. _Did I ask the wrong thing? Wait, I'm the one asking the questions, why should it matter?_

"Well, my parents are both Fours, and my oldest sister Katelyn married a Six, and my other sister Lettie… she's an Eight," she whispered, tapering off at the end. I tried not to let my surprise register on my face.

"Um… that's nice… why don't you tell me about your job?" I fumbled, trying to change the subject. Roselyn looked a lot happier, and started telling me that she was an insurance broker back in Whites, and was the most dedicated worker in her firm. She talked passionately about her job until the five-minute time bell dinged, and then she got up, gave a little curtsey, and left.

Next, in walked the famous soccer player, Lady Maia. She had never really struck me as the type to want to be in a Selection, but right now she seemed happy enough. i

"Morning Lady Maia," I smiled. She smiled back.

"Hi there Your Highness. How are you this morning?"

"I'm well, thank you, but that's really not what we're here to talk about. Do you want to tell me about your home, where you grew up?"

"Well, I'm from Bonita. It's pretty nice there, but there weren't many good fields by where I lived. My mom used to have to drive me thirty minutes to and from practice every day, which I guess was cool, so… yeah."

"That's really interesting," I lied. "Tell me about your mother, and the rest of your family."

"Well, my mom's a baker and my dad owns the bakery, it's kind of like a family business. My younger brother Keith works in the bakery too. They're not really that interesting, I guess."

The rest of the time I fished around for Maia to tell me something interesting about herself but all I got were facetious facts and meaningless descriptions. The five minute bell went off and Maia left, and soon her spot was taken by Lady Engalu. I groaned inside.

"Hi there, Lady Engalu," I greeted, plastering a smile on my face that I could only pray looked happy.

"Hello Prince-y. You look very nice today," Engalu grinned, and I could almost feel her eyes roaming up and down my figure, but I couldn't be sure because her eyes were obscured by a mask of thick green eyelashes that couldn't possibly be real.

"So, Engalu, tell me about your friends," I grimaced as she sat down, dreading the next five minutes.

"Well, Christy Heart, you must have heard of her, she's a singer, and Joni, Joni Mason, she's a socialite in Angeles but she's really sweet. Oh, and Mikaella Castroneves, she's great, she's like… one of the best actresses I know, and I'm sure you've met Lauri Burns, she talks about you all the time, and -" at this point I started to tune out her ramblings and think about other things I could be wasting my time doing. I almost didn't hear the five minute timer bell, partly because I wasn't paying attention and partly because Engalu was still talking at the speed of light.

"I'm so sorry Lady Engalu, but I think that's all the time we have for today," I cut in, disturbing her rant about Coco London Cook, apparently a famous party girl. Who knew the kinds of things people can get famous for these days?

Engalu left, with much flourish, and soon I was greeted by the much less colorful face of Lady Laila. She smiled tightly as she sat down but didn't say anything, and instead hunched her shoulders over protectively, like she was expecting to be interrogated.

"Well, um, hi there Lady Laila. Are you ready to begin?" She nodded once. I smiled a little bit, trying my best to make her feel more comfortable, because I knew she came from a lower caste.

"Why don't you tell me a little bit about your favorite foods?" I inquired gently, like I was talking to a young child.

"I like anything, really," Laila replied tersely. I noticed she was sitting on the edge of her chair like she was preparing to bolt at any minute.

"Um, then why don't you tell me a little bit about your home?" I asked, hoping that it wasn't a sensitive question for her.

"Well, I was a Six but my parents disowned me, so I guess I don't really have a home," she explained. Oops, probably a sensitive issue. Oh well, at least I got a more verbose answer this time. The rest of the time was spent with me asking worthless questions and her shutting down a little bit more with every answer she was forced to give. At the bell, Laila flinched and practically sprinted from the room. Was I really that intimidating? Before I could give the issue another thought, the next girl waltzed in. Lady Ariella, if I was correct.

"Hi, I'm Arielle, how are you?" she began, sitting down politely. I smiled a little bit - _oh wait, she was Arielle, not Ariella. _

"I'm doing fine, thanks, how are you?" I asked. At least someone was willing to talk to me like I was a human being.

"I'm fantastic," she answered, her smile growing even bigger. "You have a really nice home."  
>"It's really lovely, I've been told, although I'm afraid I fail to see most of the wonder of it, I suppose because I've grown up here. Anyway, tell me about your home, as I'm sure it's much more interesting than mine."<p>

"Well, my mom and my brother and I lived in a flat above our sewing shop, where my mom and I worked, but it was a really nice atmosphere. Much homier than the palace, if you don't mind me saying," she added quickly.

"It's fine," I shrugged it off. I'd always known that the palace was one of those homes where the _look-but-don't-touch _rule was strictly enforced. I didn't even realize that five minutes could possibly go so fast, until the bell rang. I was sorry to see Arielle go, mostly because she was the first girl I'd actually connected with. But no time to dwell on that, because whomever was in charge just kept sending girls in and I was soon seated face-to-face with Lady Wren. She didn't really stick out to me in the Selecting, when I saw her photo on the screen, and we hadn't really gotten a chance to talk, but for the first time I could feel myself getting nervous. She was absolutely breathtaking. She had an intelligent air about her, but she was quiet in demeanor.

"Um… hi there," I stammered. _Control yourself, you're the Prince. She should be nervous._

"Hi, Your Highness," Wren answered with a little of a half-smile.

"Please, call me Asher. Now tell me, what was your job back home?"

"Well, I played the flute in a woodwind quintet with a few of my good friends, but other than that I didn't really have a _job _job. It was okay though, paid fairly well."

"That's interesting, I've never heard a woodwind quintet before. That's five instruments, correct?"  
>"Yes, a flute, a clarinet, an oboe, a horn, and a bassoon. We weren't really that good."<p>

"I'm sure it was amazing. Were all of your friends musicians?"

"Well, most of them were, but…" I tried to listen to what she was saying but the way she moved was just so intriguing. She was so animated, talking about what she loved, so passionate, and the passion was raw and clear to see. We talked for several more minutes until the bell rang.

"I hope that we can continue our conversation again," I called, just before she turned and left. Instead, she looked at me and gave me another breathtaking smile.

"I do too," she grinned, and left.

**Author's Note**

Okay, I hoped you liked this crappy little filler, but I've been trying to get back on track with my writing because I started slacking for a week or so, as you probably know. Speaking of which, I'm kind of slacking on the blog too. I need to go update that. Thanks for reminding me. Anyway, I'm going to try to update on Tuesdays and maybe on the weekends again, but not this weekend, definitely not, I have rehearsals for a show in May and rehearsals and tech for a show on Saturday, and it's just crazy. Love you lots and remember to pester me about updating if I miss a week without an explanation on the blog or a little note posted here. Muah!

-Margidee

Questions:

Who do you think Asher would like the most (of the girls whose interviews you didn't get to read)?

What are your plans for spring break?


End file.
